Computing-machine.



R. J. MATTINGLY. COMPUTING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED JAN. 9. I917.

Patented 11111625, 1918.

2 SHEETSSHEET I.

abfoznz 1 R. J. MATTINGLY. COMPUTINGYMACHINE. APPLICATION FILED 1AN.9. 1917.

8 M W, l f n N .n fl m Na 4 H I e mm m m M v d P E n: v w A) 3 M Q w ROMANUS J. MATTINGLY, 0F ZURICH, KANSAS.

COMPUTING-MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 25, 1918.

Application filed January 9, 1917. Serial No. 141,407.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RoMANUs J. MAT" TINGLY, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Zurich, in the county of Books and State of Kansas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Computing-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention has reference, generally, to registers; and, the invention relates, more particularly, to an improved price computing machine.

The invention has for its principal object to provide a novel machine whereby the fluctuating prices of predetermined quantities of food stuffs or the like, may be easily and instantly computed, consequently, obviating necessity of comparatively lengthy studying before the rendering of an estimate upon the matter, and obviously, reducing the labor and time as attached thereto to minimum.

As an object of equal importance, the invention aims to provide a multiple disk computing device, which, when released after a computing operation will return to normal or inoperative position, ready for subsequent usage.

It is a more specific object of my invention to provide novel means for returning the various active elements of the computing machine to their normal or inoperative positions in a manner such as will prevent breaking or distortion thereof, thus, allowing the device to efficiently perform its functions, at all times.

It is a further object of my invention to incorporate with the improved computing machine, a common means for selecting and moving the several disks to operative positions independently of each other, thereby, affording a compact and simple device.

Other objects relate to considerations of economy of production, durability in use, and convenience in operation of the several mechanisms or parts entering into the construction of elements and the above defined general organization of said elements.

Th invention consists, furthermore, 1n the novel arrangements and combinations of the parts of the machine, as well as in the details in the construction of the same, all of which will be more fully described in the following.specification, and then finally em bodied in the clause cf the claim, which is appended to the specification and which forms an essential part of the same.

The invention is clearly illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a top plan of my improved computing machine;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section in elevation therethrough Fig. 3 is a fragmental view in detail in top plan of one of the computing disks; and

Fig. 4 is an end elevation in detail of the computing or guide segments.

Similar characters of reference are employed in all of the above described views to indicate corresponding parts.

Referring now to the several figures of the said drawings, the improved computing machine may be stated to include an annular casing member indicated by the numeral 1, which casing member has the top thereof open and is adapted to receive thereover, a closure plate, complemental in shape and size and designated by the numeral 2, bolts 3 being passed through the closure plate 2 and the bottom of the casing 1, in order that the same may be securely united or connected. An opening or way L is formed within a portion of the side wall of the casing 1 and has arranged thercover a sub-casing 5, the said sub-casing being secured in position upon the side wall of the casing member 1 by means of rivets 6 or the like, which are passed through the flanged adjacent end of the sub-casing. A plurality of eyes, generally indicated by the numeral 7 are affixed to the rear wall of the sub-casing 5, for a purpose which will be subsequently apparent.

A plurality of disks 8 are arranged within the casing member 1 in superposed relation and are provided with concentrically disposed and vertically alined openings, into which openings, bearings, generally indicated by the numeral 9 are passed and have the flanged upper portions 10 thereof secured to the adjacent portion of the disk 8. as at 11. The bearing collars 9 are provided with internally arranged gear teeth 12, which teeth are adapted to be engaged by the teeth of the pinion 13, fixedly mounted upon the lower extremity of an operating shaft 14, the upper or remaining end of which is, provided with a knurled handle portion 15, whereby, rotation of the same will be facilitated. The upper portion' of the operatingshaft 1 1, as will be noted, is passed through a suitable opening formed in the closure plate 2, preferably, concentrically thereof, and also, through a bearing sleeve or collar 16, the said sleeve having yieldably seated therein a plurality of spherical'l'atch'member's 17. ferentia-lly disposed grooves 18 are formed in the operating shaft 14 at suitable inter- 'vals therealong and-are adapted to be engaged, atti'mes, with the said spherical latch members 17', the'uppermost groove, being normally engaged thereby in order that the operating shaft 14 will be maintained in proper position and relation to the disk 8. Thus, it will be appreciated, that to engage the internal gear teeth of any one of the 'bearing eollars 9, it'is only necessary to move the operatingshaft 14' either upwardly or downwardly until the pinion 13 as carried thereby is in mesh with the same. Vlhen the pinion 13"i's'in mes-h with the particular or desired bearing collar, the same will be held in such position byreason of'the engagement of the spherical latch members 16 therewith and consequently, rotation of the desired disk is readily allowed. To insure proper rotation of the various disks 8 together with their bearing collars 9' and reduce the result antfriction to minimum, roller bearing raceways 19 areform-ed in the upper and lower faces thereof and receive therein anti-frictional bearings 20, the outer faces of the upper and lower bearing collars 9 having the anti-frictional bearings which are engaged with the same arranged in annular track-ways 21, these track-ways also being provided with complemental bearing raceways 22, whereby, to efficiently receive and retain the anti-frictional bearings.

Upon the upper faces of the computing disks 8, I arrange price scales, indicated by thenumeral 23 and form in the said disks price openings 24, which openings are adapted to be vertically alined when the disks areirrtheir normal or inoperative positions, thereby, permitting the graduations or V 'scales'of prices as arranged upon the various disks'to bed isplayed when desired. It is to be understood, that'thc various scales as arranged upon the upper or exposed faces of the computing disks 8 may relate to various food stufis or other matter, upon which the market price is frequently fluctuating, or, if

desired, the-scales as a whole may relate to a single product of food stuff, the market price of which; rapidly or quite often varies, such for instance as wheat and other like food stuffs; However, it will be readily appreciated, that various arrangements and combinationsofscales may be applied to the l exp'osedi f acesofthe computing disks 8, such asacondtt ons or-preference may dictate;

. Wither-fa view toward: providingmeans whereby the various computing disks 8 may A seriesof circumthe bearing collars 9/ Hence, when anyone of the computing disks 8 is rotated through the medium of the operating shaft H and itshandle.15, the cables% will be coiled about the bearing'col-lars 9-, thereby, placing the springs 25 under tension. Therefore, when the handle 15 is released, the operated computing disk will be instantly returned to its normal orinoperative position. To insure the return of the various computing-disks 8, to their proper normal positions, whereby,

the openings 2% as formed therein will be vertically almed, there 1sarranged upon eachof the same, stop fingers 27, the stop fingers being adapted to abut a vertically disposed stop 28, affixed to a portion of the side wall of the casing member 1, as at 2-9.

To permit proper displaying of the scales as arranged upon the computing disks 8,

a segmental opening is formed Within-the closure plate 2, directly over the opening 2% formed in the computing disk.

Arranged over the segmental opening as formed withinthe closure plate 2, is a casing er -housing, indicated in itsflentiretyby the numeral 30, which housing comprises a plurality ofsuperp osed relatively spaced arcuate guide strips 31, the said guide strips having arranged thereover a transparent cover-32 and smnlar side portions. A plurality of segmental computing or guide arms 33 are pivotally mounted within the housing 30, the

rear ends thereof'being apertu-red and received upon a vertically disposed pivot pin 34, as affixed to the upper face of the closure plates The forward or free extremities of'the guide or computing segments 33 are provided with handle portions 35, the

said handle portions being adapted to slidably rest upon the various arcuate guide strips 31. It may be; here noted, that the guide or computing segments 33 are arranged withinthe housing 30, preferably, to one side of'the segmental opening asformed within the closure plate 2. Thus, whenitis V desired'to estimate or compute thepricejof a predetermined quantity of foodstuff or other matter, a cer'tam'one of; the segments 33' is moved into position adjacent the said opening. Upon the 'segments there is,- arranged a 'scalemdicatin-g the prices of ithe food; stuff or other matter perunit andjcon;

ing disks 8 with their scales 23 is rotated so sequently, when a certain one of the eomputthat the particular graduations bearing the predetermined quantity upon which the esti mate is to be rendered is alined therewith, the cost of the same may be readily ascertained upon reference to the price or cost indicating portion of the scale 23 as arranged on the particular computing disk 8. By forming the opposite side portions of the housing 30 transparent, the guide or computing segments 33 together with the registered computing disk 8 may be readily viewed by the user. If desired, suitably arranged seats 36 may be formed in the various arcuate guide strips 31 whereby to receive yieldable catch members as may be carried upon the under faces of the computing segments 33. Thus, it will be appreciated, that the computing segment when moved into operative position will be maintained thereat, thereby, allowing the hand of the user to be removed to permit rotating of the operating shaft let.

The operation of the machine may be reviewed as follows:

The user upon desiring to ascertain the price of a particular food stufi in a certain quantity, moves that segment 33 as bearing the proper price per unit of the matter into operative position. At this time, the operating shaft 1 1 is raised or lowered within the casing member 1 so as to mesh the pinion 13 as carried thereby with the internally toothed bearing collar 9 of the proper computing disk 8. The pinion 13 will be held in meshed engagement by reason of the spherical latch members 17 which latch members will engage the adjacent circumferentially disposed grooves 18. The shaft is now rotated and consequently imparts a similar motion to the intergeared computing disk 18, bringing a portion of the scale thereon, as containingthe price of the predetermined quantity, into alinement with the openings as formed in the closure plate 2 and also into alinement with the vertically disposed opening 24 formed in the other co1nputing disks 8. At this time, upon reference to the desired graduation or figure as arranged upon the said computing segment 33, the price of the matter will be indicated upon the scale 23 of the computing disk 8. After the computing operation, the shaft 1-1 may be moved so as to disengage the pinion 13 with the computing disk 8, whereupon the said disk will be immediately returned to its normal position through the medium of the coiled springs 25 and their connections with the cable 26 as attached to the bearing collar 9 thereof. The machine is now ready for a further computing operation.

While I have herein illustrated and described with a considerable degree of particularity, constructional details of the machine embodying my invention, I do not wish to be understood as confining the invention to the particular embodiments chosen for illustration herein, nor to the exact construction, arrangement and adaptation of the parts shown and described, but I reserve the right to make any changes and alterations that fairly fall within the spirit and scope of the invention.

I claim:

In combination with a computing machine having a Way formed in the top thereof for exposing a portion of the computing means, a housing supported on the top of said casing adjacent said way, and a. plurality of superposed computing arms pivotally mounted in the housing, said arms being provided with means for maintaining the same in spaced relation and for facilitating movement thereof.

In testimony whereof, I affix my signature hereto.

ROMANUS J. MATTINGLY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. 0. 

